Francisco Trincao has signed for Wolverhampton Wanderers on loan.
The winger is to spend the 2021/22 season at Molineux, with the club having a £25 million option to buy.
Trincao’s move came as a big surprise yesterday.
He had been loosely linked with a move to Molineux.
But people didn’t read too much into it, with many feeling it was because he is just another client of Jorge Mendes.
But the club made the announcement, and here we are.
The addition of Trincao is exciting.
You only have to read comments from Portugal legend Paulo Futre about him to realise this is a player with major potential.
Trincao should get good game time under Bruno Lage with Pedro Neto out until around October.
One wonders what the move could mean for Daniel Podence who, for many, the jury is still out on.
He started very promisingly last term, but then struggled for form and fitness. He made just nine league appearances in 2021 and didn’t complete 90 minutes once.
Trincao may threaten Podence starting berth
Trincao coming in could well shake things up.
Assuming he isn’t sold, Adama Traore is likely going to start most games, especially with Neto sidelined.
That means Podence is the most vulnerable to losing his starting spot.
It hasn’t quite happened for him so far since his £17m transfer in January 2020 (BBC Sport).
He is an exhilarating talent when he’s on it, but the consistency just hasn’t been there as yet.
Trincao will be raring to go after struggling for game time at Barca, and potentially he could make life difficult for Podence.